베르타 알프리다 코스트럽 Kostrup, Bertha Alfrida

Ⅰ. 기본사항¹⁾

II. 선교사 소개

1. 필리핀으로부터 한국에 온 덴마크 간호 선교사

2. 제물포 의료사역의 주역이 된 선교사

3. 인천에서 현대식 병원을 시작하다

4. 일제에 의해 더 이상 한국을 섬길 수 없게 되었다

III. 기타자료

1926. 코스트럽 선교사 편지 전문⁸⁾

A LETTER FROM CHEMUPO

 

Dear Friend

 

Your interest in this work has been so genuine, that since you have asked how it is prospering I gladly take this opportunity of assuring you, that the chemulpo Public Welfare work is still on the map. I can't tell you of great and wonderful things done, but, the doctor, the nurse and I each have tried to do the part that fell to us, and have prayed that God would add his blessing to even the smaIIest and most insignificant service we should render.

 

You know that a big part of my work is going out in the country, treating the sick and teaching the mothers the simplest rules of hygiene. Last fall I went with Miss Hess, visiting aImost every church on the islands. word of our coming preceeded us, so all the sick folks who could walk to the church Were there, and I treated them if possible, and advised them what to do in order to get well. My greatest problem has been taking enough medicine along. It seems, no matter how much I may have brought, it would run out.

 

One woman on the Samsan circuit heard I was coming, so taking the baby on her back, she walked several miles over a high mountain, arriving at Tolmoro that evening. The poor baby had been treated by an old-fashioned Korean doctor. Long needles had been stuck in his little knee, which was badly swollen, so be was simply scared to death when he saw me and yelled and kicked his protests. I examined the knee and as it did not look very hopeful, advised their taking the baby to Severance Hospital for examination and possible treatment. When the mother heard that, she looked so sad and said, "Then my baby will be a cripple, for we have no money." She begged me for medicine, to at least try if he could be helped, so I gave her some ointment. I asked the pastor to report to me how the child got along, for I had decided, if he did not get better, that he should have the needed treatment.

 

I saw so many of these cases, that could easily be helped if we only had the money to pay for their treatment, as they themselves had absolutely nothing. The last report from there was the good news that the child got well. It is surprising how often the little medicine given, produces such great results not only physically but spiritually. In one village on Kangwha several people have been greatly helped through our medical work and for that reason many have come to believe on Christ.

 

At first I worried some about giving out medicine and then leaving without being able to follow up the cases, but I made it a subject of prayer and God has surely added his blessing to this work, for reports have come from most of the places visited, that many Were cured and still others much improved.

 

The last time I went to the country, I visited three places, treated more than 150 patients, especially women and children, gave health lectures which were attended by from two to threc hundred women and probably as many big boys and girls. You would have enjoyed seeing their interest, as they listened attentively to my explanations of the charts, even in my imperfect language, and they answered right up, when asked questions. I stayed in one home where a small child had malaria. The older sister said to her mother, "Let US put up our mosquito net." She had gotten the idea.

 

I have hesitated in starting any milk-station work. I didn't have the money and our dispensary is not arranged suitably for such work, but a poor little baby was brought to us with a badly infected mouth and sores all over its body. Tho she was five months old she weighed but seven pounds. The mother was unable to nurse the baby and had no money with which to buy suitable food, so in order to save the child's life we must make a try at it. This was almost two months ago and little Oh Moki is now very much alive. She weighs 9lbs. and is really a very pretty baby and instead of crying, she gives us many a sweet smile.

 

Our Baby Welfare clinIcs are growing, but because the building can not be heated adequately during the winter, the work practically stops for three months and it is hard to get started again. We have no place in which to gather the women for lectures and meetings, so if the work is to continue to grow, we must have a new building and to this end We are praying.

 

The Kangwha city clinic has grown remarkably and the mothers there seem especially attentive and anxious to learn. In fact, everywhere there is a desire to learn how to protect the children from disease. Of course all are not equally interesed and I sometimes get discouraged, but I try to remember their centuries of ignorance and I feel certain, that as we continue to teach Korean motherhood, they will come to realize more and more that a healthy body is an absolute necessity for a healthy spiritual growth.

 

I don't know if you care to hear numbers, but here are a few. There were 2,079 patients treated in the dispensary during this past year and 165 outcalls were made. Children treated in the school dispensary and patients treated out in the country numbered 3,163.

 

More than half of our work has been free work. I don't really see where the money came from, but God has supplied our needs as they arose. One thing' that greatly encouraged me, was the gift of 50yen from the Parent Association of our girls' school. It showed that they saw the value of having their chIdren looked after physically as well as mentally.

 

So I have had many things to be thankful for in the past year and I am hoping to See still greater things accomplished in the coming year, by the manifestation of God's power in the healing of the sick who come to our Chemulpo W oman's Hospital and whom we meet over the Chemulpo District.

 

ALFRIDA KOSTRUP.

IV. 참고문헌

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